Lawmakers from both parties have been talking about it for months, and now they’ve finally introduced legislation that would ask voters to make it harder to change Colorado’s constitution.

Voters in 2008 shot down Referendum O, a similar referred measure from lawmakers that would have made it harder to amend the constitution. The business community, occupied that year by a battle over ballot measures dealing with labor issues, did not sink any real money into supporting Ref O.

But after the defeat last November of Amendments 60 and 61 and Proposition 101, three initiated measures that would have slashed billions in state and local taxes, business groups began bemoaning the fact that they spent millions of dollars to simply maintain the status quo. Many lawmakers on both sides of the aisle starting talking again about ballot measure reform.

“We introduced a bipartisan measure that will protect Colorado’s foundational document and end the ballot initiative warfare that has been so destructive and wasteful to our business community,” said Senate President Brandon Shaffer, D-Longmont, who is sponsoring the referred measure with Sen. Nancy Spence, R-Centennial, and five other Senate Republicans and six Senate Democrats.

In what appear to be his first public comments since the failure of the so-called “Ugly Three,” anti-tax activist Douglas Bruce says Coloradans were “bamboozled” on the three tax-slashing ballot measures.

“The voters signaled that they don’t care if the government pulls out an Uzi and mows down people collecting signatures,” Bruce told the Gazette. “They’re going to shrug and step over the bleeding bodies and go get their groceries.”

For the second weekend in a row, Douglas Bruce has been spotted in Denver putting up signs supporting Amendments 60 and 61 and Proposition 101.

I got an e-mail last week from a Spot reader who said Bruce, a Colorado Springs resident best known for TABOR, was stopped near 1st Avenue near Speer, causing a traffic jam putting campaign signs in the public right-of-way.

Then I got a phone call Saturday night from a Spot reader who said when he saw Bruce and started taking pictures, Bruce took off.

Jon Caldara announces his plan to stop what he calls 'Obamacare' at the state Capitol in January. (Photo by Lynn Bartels/The Denver Post)

The Independence Institute regularly trots out the latest supporters for its ballot measure stopping health-care reform, but President Jon Caldara won’t say where he stands on what he calls the “Ugly Three.”

Caldara was asked whether II feared losing votes for its own measure, Amendment 63, if he came out against the Ugly Three.

He said members of the Independence Institute are split over the three measures, and “We made a decision that our job is to focus on Amendment 63.”

Among the recent supporters of Amendment 63: the Association of American Physicians and Surgeons and U.S. Rep. Mike Coffman.

Amendment 63 says Colorado can’t force its citizens to purchase health care, and protect fee-for-service health care by “ensuring the right to pay out of pocket for lawful health care services and products if you so choose,” according to the Independence Institute.

Amendments 60 and 61 and Proposition 101, dubbed the “Ugly Three” by opponents, are opposed by Democrats and all but a few elected Republican officials in the state.

The measures, which would slash state and local taxes by billions of dollars and drastically limit governments’ ability to build things, have been called extreme and “anarchy” by some fiscally conservative Republicans, who say they go way too far.

OK, maybe it’s not the biggest ray of sunshine. There are fewer than 9,000 registered Libertarians in Colorado who are active voters, so the party’s official stance may not matter much. Still, Libertarians saw the “Ugly Three” standing alone on the side of the dance floor and saw beauty and a chance to make their move.

“If 60, 61 and 101 have been orphaned by the two major parties, they have been officiallly adopted by the Libertarian Party of Colorado,” party chairman David K. Williams, Jr said. “It is easy to talk about smaller government, but when it comes time to make a choice, once again the GOP shows it is all talk. The LP is the only political party that actually believes in smaller government.”

At least that’s how the Colorado League of Responsible Voters wants to think about the numbered issues: Amendments 60, 61, 62 and 63 and Propositions 101 and 102. The organization, made up of labor unions and liberal groups, is running a radio ad titled, “Joe the Plumber,” which, unlike Samuel Joseph Wurzelbacher, offers political advice that is not exactly Tea Party gospel.

Description: Male voice only. Some sounds in the background of 1) doorbell 2) swishing water,3) plunger and at end 3) draining water.

Plumber here, ma’am.

“Clogged sink, uh? Well, let me take a look.

“Jimminy! You’ve got the ugly three in here. 60, 61 and 101.
Jimminy. My gosh, you know what they do? They make a mess for our schools and roads and cut over 70,000 jobs. Stay away from that stuff.

“Holy moley! You got a 62 in here too. See the folks at the shop want that one stopped because it bans some birth control methods. You need to get that one out of here now!

“Oh, and there’s a 63 in here too. Your husband’s not a lawyer, is he? Too bad, 63 is a lawyer’s dream. It’s so misleading, it’ll clog up our courts for years. And it’s costly for you and me. We’ll have to pay for all those lawsuits, and we’ll get stuck with the higher health insurance costs.

“Well, listen, I think I got ’em all. But do me a favor, stay away from the numbers. Too many unintended consequences. Got that? Vote ‘No’ on all the numbers.

“Paid for by the Colorado League of Responsible Voters.”

Note that Proposition 102, which would make more low-level offenders post bail, is not mentioned in the script, but voting “no on the numbers” would necessarily include defeating the measure, and liberal groups – as well as some not so liberal – are urging that the measure be shot down.

In the right corner, check out the anti- Amendment 60, Amendment 61 and Proposition 101 sign.

UPDATE: The group opposing the ballot measures posted the picture on its Facebook page and got this response from Patty Leatherwood.

This is actually my house. I feel very strongly about defeating these. I have children in school, I have a husband in construction, my son’s life was saved by the fast response of firefighters. I will do everything in my power as a voter to defeat these.

I have talked to my teenage son about 60, 61, and 101 and he agrees so much that they need to be defeated he is the one that made the 60, 61, and 101 sign.

Get out and talk to your neighbors, tell them what harm these will do if they pass!!

“Would you be more likely to oppose them if Douglas Bruce was involved?” Bruce asked an AP reporter today. “You could just as well say Charles Manson, Attilla the Hun.”

Not Douglas Bruce

Still, Bruce dodged questions about the substance of the complaint filed by opponents: that he illegally used his charity, Active Citizens Together, to fund petition drives for the three initiatives. Neither ACT nor any other group registered an issue committee with the Secretary of State’s office to report contributions and expenditures as required by law.

“True or not, there is no basis for filing that suit,” Bruce told AP, referring to the complaint.

The float was sponsored by the Libertarians in Delta County. “They support me and I’m not going to tell people not to put my signs on their float,” Rankin said.

Democrats aren’t sure they’re buying his story.

More on that in a minute, but first news from some other legislative races:

REPUBLICAN KAREN CULLEN, Manitou Springs: Her campaign has filed a complaint with the El Paso County district attorney, saying a liberal organization broke state law by mailing inaccurate information about her to voters in House district.

Lynn Bartels thinks politics is like sports but without the big salaries and protective cups. The Washington Post's "The Fix" blog has named her one of Colorado's best political reporters and tweeters.

Joey Bunch has been a reporter for 28 years, including the last 12 at The Denver Post. For various newspapers he has covered the environment, water issues, politics, civil rights, sports and the casino industry.